Chapter Fourteen: Deceit

Look around you!

I have found

You cannot tell, by lookin' at the surface,

What is lurkin' there beneath it!

See that face!

Now, I'm prepared to bet you,

What you see's not what you get-

'Cause man's a master of deceit!

Façade, Wildhorn's Jekyll and Hyde Musical

xxXxx

Haru couldn't fall asleep that night. She couldn't get her mind off of what she had mistakenly found out about the baron; wondering if she had just imagined it.

'If this keeps up, I'm going to have my own comic book. But at least this explains why his family took Edna so well.'

Yuki mewed, briefly waking up to lick Haru's scarred cheek before settling on the pillow again.

"Go back to sleep, sweetie. I'll drift off eventually," she whispered, curling into a fetal position on the bed.

Yuki purred a reply, just before her ears pricked upwards. She sat up in bed, looking at the walls worriedly.

"What is it?" Haru asked, just before a familiar sound began echoing into the room, louder than ever.

She laughed softly in disbelief. 'No way. He wouldn't really do that for me. Would he?'

Yuki meowed fearfully, so Haru wrapped her into her arms again; nuzzling the soft fur with a giggle.

"Don't worry, my little Yuki. That's just the baron, wishing us goodnight."

He had moved to a closer location, just so that she could hear him better.

"Meow?" Yuki asked incredulously.

Haru shrugged, and settled back on the bed. "I told him I like the way he plays. Go to sleep, sweetie. Nothing's going to happen, I promise."

ooOoo

The other servants appeared to have been notified of the fact that Haru knew about the cursed lord. They were giving her slightly worried expressions as she walked through the halls the next morning, and again at the table during breakfast.

Even Muta noticed it, as he passed out the mountain of pancakes. "All right; just what's going on?" he asked his daughter crossly.

"What do you mean, Dad?" she answered casually, setting a portion of her breakfast on the floor next to her feet for Yuki.

"Did something happen while we were gone? Everybody seems a little jumpy," Naoko noted worriedly.

Toto and Tara both looked at Haru nervously, a fact that wasn't lost on Muta and Naoko.

"Oh, that. It's because I threw a fit yesterday," she said casually, sipping her orange juice. "I really wanted to go outside last night, but there was that storm to worry about. They were very stubborn about not letting me go outside." She gave both Toto and Tara a glare to support the lie, and to warn them not to contradict her.

"Really? That's why you ran away from the board game?" Tanya asked incredulously as Haru bounced her brother on her knee again.

"That's right," Haru confirmed, ruffling her hair in hopes that she would not go into further details.

"Oh, Haru," her mother groaned, passing a bit of syrup along the table. "What is it about storms that makes you want to be a part of it?"

Haru only gave her signature shrug, and continued eating her breakfast.

"… You mean she's acted like that before?" Tara asked nervously.

"Unfortunately. No matter what I make her promise, she always goes a little strange in violent weather," Naoko said gloomily. "I should have thought to call yesterday and warn you."

Muta laughed sheepishly. "My old man was the same way. We used to have to tie him to a chair to keep him in the house, especially during tornado season."

Haru flinched. "You're not going to do that to me next time, are you?"

"We'll see," Toto laughed, reaching around his wife to ruffle her hair again. "Oh, and that reminds me; Humbert wants to talk to you about your sketches."

ooOoo

"I thought you meant over the phone," Haru nearly whispered, as Toto escorted her up to the third level of the manor.

"I know; I made it sound like that for your parents," he replied in a low tone, distractedly scratching Yuki's ear until she hissed at him. "As far as they know, you're still in your room with your cat."

"They'll figure it out by lunchtime, you know."

"Not a chance. I arranged for Alana to volunteer to take your lunch to you when she takes Humbert's. Don't worry; I've got everything taken care of."

Toto stopped in front of the last one on the right. He knocked on the door twice. "It's me, with Haru."

Despite the fact that Haru knew she had nothing to be afraid of, she couldn't help but feel nervous as the door soundlessly fell open. She kept one hand on her art bag's strap, rubbing her thumb against it to calm herself.

"See you later," Toto said cheerfully as he suddenly pushed her through the door.

"Hey!" Haru stumbled as she came into the room, both hands automatically flying to keep Yuki from falling to the ground.

It was the same study that she had been taken to the night before.

"That was uncalled for, Toto!" the feline lord called from the other side of the door as he closed it. "I apologize, Haru. My cousin has a flair for the dramatic."

'Now, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?' But she laughed softly, keeping her thoughts to herself. "It's all right. I've been pushed around before."

Yuki, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as calm. Her eyes were wide, and she was mewing frantically as she sunk her claws deep into Haru's clothing. Her body shook with almost violent tremors, as she stared at the werecat.

"Shh, it's all right, Yuki," Haru tried to console her, rocking the kitten like a babe. "The baron's a nice guy; he won't harm you."

But the little kitten refused to be pacified, walking up one arm and around her shoulders as she continued to mew frantically.

"Now, that's quite enough of that," the lord said sternly, crossing his arms while giving the kitten a cross look. "I'll do nothing of the sort to you or your mistress."

Haru glanced up at him sharply. "You can understand her?"

"Quite clearly. Miss Yuki, if I had anything but the best intentions for your mistress, I wouldn't have allowed her to keep you. I strongly suggest that you calm down."

Yuki stopped mewing, but nothing could stop her trembling, or her fearful gaze.

"Look; I'll keep you on my lap the whole day if you want, but Baron's harmless, I promise," Haru soothed her, rubbing her face against the soft white fur.

Yuki gave another pathetic mew, and licked Haru's face around the mask repeatedly for some much-needed comfort.

"Good girl," she said softly, walking around the study to retrieve her sketchbook with one hand. "Do cats usually get this nervous around you, sir?"

He didn't answer her.

She looked over her shoulder curiously. "Is something wrong?"

He was looking at her incredulously. "What… did you call me?"

Haru blinked. "I don't think I called you anything. If I did, I'm sorry-"

"No, you didn't offend me," he said quickly, raising one hand to reassure her. "But… you called me Baron."

She tilted her head at him.

At least he didn't look angry. Surprised, perhaps, but not angry.

"It must have slipped out. You know, I'm not all that sure what I am supposed to call you," she admitted sheepishly. "Do you hate being called sir, too?"

He cocked his head at her, and smiled warmly. "I do, actually. Why don't you call me Baron? I'm afraid I've never been all that fond of 'Humbert'."

'I knew it.' She gave him a smile, and sat down on the couch with Yuki. "All right, Baron. Do cats usually get this nervous around you?"

He gave a small laugh, and sat down next to her, much to Yuki's dismay. "To be honest, your little Yuki's the first cat I've been this close to, since it happened." He gave the kitten a reproachful look, making her bury her face into Haru's neck in fear. "But judging from her reaction, it would be safe to assume that all cats will react to me as she did, at least at first."

Haru sighed, and rubbed her face against Yuki's fur to help calm her down. "I guess you're this way when the full moon's out, no matter the time of day?"

He nodded, looking a little disgruntled. "My curse has punctured all sorts of Hollywood myths. Disappointing, perhaps, but it's better than turning into a bloodthirsty monster."

She smiled weakly, and patted his gloved hand in sympathy. "I'd think so. Well, as long as I'm up here, would you mind telling me why you didn't like the angle of the wrist on this one?" She pointed to one of her latest sketches, which had small red marks on it.

"Because if one were to hold a sword like that, his wrist would snap like a twig. Here, let me show you." He gently eased one hand away from her sketchbook, and molded it into the same position she had on the page.

Haru initially twitched from the contact, but stifled the reaction fiercely. She couldn't help but notice that his hands were comfortably warm, even through the gloves. He used two of his fingers to substitute for a sword in her hand, to maintain the same position.

"Be still, Miss Yuki," Baron said tiredly as the kitten hissed at him in defense of her mistress. "Now, let's say that you're about to deflect a parry. In order to do so, you would need to twist your blade like this and feint to the side." He slowly rotated her wrist and extended her arm, to give her the feeling of the motion.

"However, a popular follow-up tactic to that is a thrust to the heart. I had a friend in my beginner's course years ago that held his sword like this. As a result, his wrist was almost constantly broken for weeks. He dropped out, because he refused to change his position to this."

He adjusted her fingers slightly, and a bit more of the makeshift hilt was exposed. He also tilted her wrist, just a bit.

Haru studied the new hold for a minute, feeling confused. "It doesn't seem all that different," she admitted.

"Believe me, Haru; it makes all the difference in the world."

She gave him a timid smile, and slowly worked her hand free from his. "Well, you're the expert; I'll take your word for it." She flipped her sketchbook to a fresh page. "It might be a good idea to do a close-up of the correct hand position, so your readers don't get confused."

He nodded, and stole a fistful of pencils from her bag. She looked up at him in surprise, but all he did was smile, and hold the pencils in the position he just showed her.

"Will a model help?" he asked softy.

Haru gave him a small smile, and slid against the side of the couch so she could see him more easily; tucking one leg under the other for a makeshift desk. She usually depended on her imagination for details, but this was clearly something she shouldn't get creative about. "It couldn't hurt. Would you mind?"

"Of course not."

Yuki protested at her new position, and climbed over the dark grey button up shirt to wrap her body around Haru's neck. She mewed in a tiny voice, licking Haru's jaw line repeatedly.

'I should have brought a toy for her.' Haru rubbed her cheek gently against her kitten's soft fur as her mechanical pencil began its dance across the paper. Her mind and heart began to beat as one, and a familiar serenity covered her senses. Her eyes flickered up to Baron's hand, and then back at the paper to ensure accuracy.

Everything outside of the pencil and the hand was only an illusion, at least to Haru's clouded senses. Even Yuki's mews grew distant.

Suddenly she stopped, and stared at her drawing. "Oops," she said with a nervous giggle.

Baron blinked twice, and lowered his arm gratefully. "Is something wrong, Haru?"

"I didn't change your wrist," she said sheepishly, carefully taking a pink eraser to the offensive lines.

He looked down at his furry wrist curiously, and gave a sad sigh.

Haru glanced up at him, after editing a normal wrist into the picture. She bit her lip nervously, wondering just what her limitations were, when it came to talking to him. "Baron?"

He looked over at her, and made an effort to erase his melancholy. "Yes, Haru?"

"When… when you change, does it hurt?" she asked softly.

He nodded sadly. "Every time. We had to soundproof my personal quarters, so that everyone in the manor doesn't hear the screaming."

Again, Haru's hand wandered to his of its own will, and squeezed it comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

He gave her a wan smile, and squeezed her hand back. "Thank you." Then he hesitated. "I'm certain that turning into Edna involves some pain as well."

Haru looked down at her lap and nodded, even as Yuki mewed into one ear quizzically. "I doubt I'll be changing into her any time soon, though. The villagers are too terrified of me to try anything dumb enough to release her."

Without warning, Baron pulled on her hand, nearly making the girl fall across the couch to land in his lap as her sketchbook fell to the side. As she yelped in surprise, he wrapped her in a warm hug; Yuki escaping down Haru's back to avoid the feline lord's touch.

"I know exactly how you feel," he said softly, squeezing her a bit before just as quickly releasing her.

Haru's heart began to pitter-patter unsteadily, since she didn't usually allow people outside of her parents to hug her.

But… Baron was different from anyone she had ever met before. He was perhaps the only person she would ever meet, that could understand what it was like to have an inner demon.

She smiled shyly at him, and reached down for the fallen sketchbook. 'It's kind of funny, that I find him less terrifying as a werecat.'